Harvester infeed mechanism



July 23, 1957 J. R. WEST HARVESTER INFEED MECHANISM 3 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 /nvE/Vrok ATORNEY July 23, 1957 Filed Sept. 2, 1954 J. R. WEST HARVESTER I NFEED MECHANiSM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July" WEST HARVESTER INFEED MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lFiled. Sept. 2, 1954 6lA 1 IORNEV United States Patent `2,800,217 lHARVESTER INFEED MECHANISM James-R. West, New Holland, Pa.,` assigner, by mesne assignments, to SperryRand Corporation, New Holland,\Pa., acorporaton of Delaware Application September@ 1954,.Serial-No. fjtlz 14 Claims. (Cl. y13S- 104) flfhis invention relates to improvements in a harvester infcedmechanism of the type generally exempliiedinthe -Korsmo et al. Patent 2,470,704 ofiMay 17,4949, in whch a relatively ,wide mainconveyergtakes thecrop vmaterial .rearwardly toward :a relatively narrow -rearwardly mov- `ing infeed conveyer, which then feeds it into a relatively ,narrow .feed opening lof the harvester infeed housing, .laterallylopposed augerconveyersfat the discharge end -of said wide conveyerfunctioning to; laterally condense the incoming material to a widthnpermitting its handling by ,thenarrower'conveyerand its reception in thesaidfeed opening.

In such a l.mechanism -it isdes irable to avoid having the augersfprojecting -over thejnfeed conveyer ,or partially across the feedppeningto thllsgavoid obstructing-the `movement of material toand through ,the feed opening. Hah/ever, prior to the present invention, .Such `disposition 4ofitheaugers vpermittedtheinfeeding material to laterally bridge f across ,andohstructthe feed-.opening- It isfaccordhglv, theprimaryzabiet ofthe invention tolobtain the desired nasitonhis` of the .angers en opposite Sides and clear ofthe ih feed,openingandzonveyer, ywhile minimizing such .bridging tendencyofihe ,conveyed material across the feed opening.

To this end, the ..1atera11y'cpposed innerends, ofthe `feed angers 'haveendffaces -intheform of .cam platesfwhicfh are disposed diagonally id itheir;relativelyalighedeaxes :f rotation and which conyervgetowards. sash; other norrnallvtoisaid..` aims,- vvheiehvresponsive t0; rotation@ of the augers unisonl these c anr plates will periodically; converge rearwardly:` toward andv adjacent the ffeed, :Opening .to laterally consolidate-,the l; conveyed prop-material carried betweenthemv on theinfeed ccnveyertihst vP riOrLtv entrance; of: `such material Ai n t0 ;t h feedopcnihs ons' mittent positioning and functioning of theycamplatestwill he Compressed laterally bvthethenrearwardlv converging plates andthus yfreed-for passage throughthe .feed opening.

It -is a further object tolocate t l 1e a ugers at a level above the infeed conveyer and to `rotate th e m in lunison ,the-,crop material thereagainst tothereby contribute to-the, etleiency of the V infeed conveyer in drawing the ,material rearwardly `betweensaiclconverging plates:

Still .further incidental objects and advantages w1ll.,be

.aderen in coniunction with, ,the .ahcompahyias vdrawings ICC 2 `Figure l represents a front elevational view of the inlfeed portions of a conventional eld vforage harvester embodying the preferred form of my invention;

Figure 2, a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure `3:, anelevational view of a generallly diagrammatic nature looking toward the right in Figur`e`1 and illustrating the driving connections between the several rotating parts;

Figure 4 a plan viewpartly in section on the line 4-4 of Figure l;

A'Figure 5, a front elevational view showing the. two

.feed angers rotated degrees fromthe positions illustrated in Figure 1, these latterlpositions `being illustrated in broken lines in Figure f5.

Referring now ,in de tail tothe accompanying drawings,

the .invention is thereillustrated in its preferredapplicatin tofthe pickup and infeed mechanism of a conventional ground traversing field forage harvester, ofwhich there are illustrated only those portions vwhich are essentialto an intelligent understanding ,of the invention.

.Such ,aforage harvester comprises an nfeed `housing 2 ,havijng :a feed opening 3 extended forwardly. in the direction of movementof the forage harvester.

-Fixed to3housing 2 and in advance thereof arelfeed platforms474 Whichare laterally spaced apart on opposite sides of the feed openingl. Disposed for opera- .tion between these platforms is a conventional endless .infeed conveyer 5, which maybe of the type'empl'oying ,flexibly interconnected rigid cross slats supported between sprocket chains in usualmanner. v. Sincelthis construction -ispurely conventionahfit is nottillustrated in detail.

In theillustrated embodiment the conveyerS ismounted ,on sprockets 6 fixed on a vdriven shaft 7 journaled 'laterally through the brackets 8-8 depending from housing 22, yandsprocketsqlixed lon shaft 10 rotatably. supported in :any suitablemanner beneathhousingZ. One end of shaft f7 projects laterally; inwardly and is connected .through'la chain `drive 11 with a drive'shaft 12.

tRotatably supported in Ahousing 2in spacedrelation .above theinfeed conveyer- 5 is a conventional toothedor ribhedupperfeed y.roll 13 which rides over and depresses material carried on theinfeed conveyerlS'.

The platforms 474 arebounded atltheir laterally/,outer .endsbyupstanding side walls 14-14 and at 'theirfr'ear .edges-by upstanding rear wallslS-IS which extendbetween the.` sidewallsandthe housing 2. Thesewallsl14 y,andelS serve toconine crop material received onthe .platform.p. 4.

:The main relatively. Wide `endless .,conveyer16,.of va usual pickfup unitis supportedin advanceof thefeed platforms 4--4 and the infeedconveyergS. Conveyer Alisequal in width to `the combined Width of the platforms 4- 4and-conveyer 5 and is disposed to simultaneously `deliver crop materialin usualmanner from :almoweror .pick-up 4unit (not fshown) onto all of these. For.this purpose its delivery end is disposed above and overlaps ythe said platforms 4-4 and the conveyer 5.

Y Main conveyer 16 may be supported in usual manner around-.relatively 'spaced rolls, of which only the/rearmost such roll l'1"7 is illustrated, and isvdriven through any suitable means connected with the righthand endy portion ofits shaft 12, which is broken away in Figures 1 and 4. This shaft` 12 in the preferred embodiment is identical with theumain drive shaft of the mechanism as above described. Y I

y MFor the purposeof feeding the incoming ycrop material laterally inwardly over Ithe platforms 4 and ontotheinfeed conveyerf to thus laterally consolidate the material vreceived from conveyer 16, there arer provided feedlaug'ers 18718. These Iare y supported for VArotation over'the respective platforms l--4`onropposite late raLsilesl o f the Vrnally to the rotational axes of the angers.

3 infeed conveyer 5 and feed opening 3 and in advance of the latter, by relatively aligned lateral sleeves 19-19 coaxially fixed within said angers and rotatably journaled on dead shafts Ztl- 2Q carried respectively by brackets 20a- 20a and rotatable through bearings 21-21 on the end walls 14.

It will be seen that these angers rotate about the relatively laterally aligned axes of their shafts 2l) to feed material laterally inwardly over the platforms onto the infeed conveyer 5, normally to the movement of the conveyor, whereby it merges with the material delivered directly onto conveyer 5 from the main conveyer 16.

The angers are connected for rotation in the same direction in unison, as by the chain drives 22-22 interconnecting their respective sleeves 19 to the main drive shaft 12. By virtue of this arrangement the angers 1S are rotated in the same direction as the conveyor roll :17. Thus, in'operation where the said roll is rotated to drive the upper run of the main conveyor 16 rearwardly, both of the angers 18 are rotated in a direction to cause their lower peripheries to move forwardly in opposition to the movement of the material on the conveyers 5 and 16, to thus discourage wrapping of such material about the angers, and to maintain the bulk of such material on the forward side of the angers during its lateral passage inwardly toward the infeed conveyer 5. Y

Preferably each of the Vangers 1S, comprises la cylindrical tubular body 18a and a helical flight 18h wound therearonnd in usual manner, the flights of the respective conveyers being oppositely wound so that their rotation in unison will canse delivery of the material in opposite laterally inward directions onto the feed conveyor 5.

Accordingly, the angers will function to laterally consolidate the swath of material delivered by the wide main conveyer 16y to a width wherein it can be conveniently received on and handled by the narrower infeed conveyer 5.

Fixed on the relatively adjacent inner ends of the respective angers 18 are substantially at cam plates 23-23 which are disposed diagonally to the rotational axes of the angers and which converge toward each other nor- Each of the cam plates23 preferably closes and deines the inner end .of its respective tubular anger body 18a and is marginally coeXtensive with the periphery of said body.

Thus, in operation where the angers are rotated in unison, their said converging cam plates 23 will periodically converge rearwardly toward feed opening 3 to intermittently laterally compress or consolidate the crop material carried between them on the continuously moving infeed conveyer S, just prior to reception of such material within the feed opening 3, This will obviously prevent or minimize any tendency of the material to bridge across and obstruct the feed opening.

Because of the upward rotational movement of the forwardly presented portions of the angers 18, the bulk of the conveyed material engaged by said angers will be maintained forwardly of the angers during its lateral inward movement onto the infeed conveyer 5, whereby upon being transferred onto conveyer 5 such material will be drawn rearwardly around the adjoining inner ends of the angers and between the cam plates 23. Thus,'sub stantially all of the crop material received from the main conveyer 16 will be required to pass between the cam plates Z3 enroute to the feed opening 3 to be laterally consolidated by these plates just prior to reception in the feed opening.

Moreover, due to the direction or" rotation of the angers 18, when the cam plates 23 are in their rearwardly converging relation, their rear peripheral edges at the most nearly axially adjacent portions of the angers will thus be rotating downwardly toward infeed conveyer 5 to press the crop material thereagainst and to thereby contribute to the action of the conveyer 5 in drawing the material rearwardly between plates 23.

It is believed obvious therefore that in the above described new combination of elements, the angers and the cam plates carried thereby cooperate in a new, highly ingenuous and unobvions manner with the infeed conveyer 5 and the feed opening 3 to intermittently laterally compress crop material carried into the feed opening 3 on conveyer 5 and thus to prevent bridging or obstructing of the feed opening by such material. Moreover, since the inner ends of the angers terminate on laterally opposite sides of the feed conveyer and feed opening and do not laterally overlap or overlie either of these, it will be readily apparent that these angers do not in any way obstruct or decrease the material handling capacity of the infeed conveyer 5.

n this application there is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention simply by way of illustration of the preferred mode contemplated by me of carrying ont the invention as by law required. However, it is recognized that the invention is capable of other and different embodiments. It will be apparent that a single auger of the type previously described could be employed and that several details of the structure may be modified in various ways all without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description herein are intended to be merely illustrative in nature and not exclusive.

Having thus described my invention, I claim;

l. In a crop infeed mechanism for harvesters comprising a housing having a forwardly directed feed opening, a main conveyer of greater width than said opening extending laterally on opposite sides thereof for delivering material rearwardly toward the opening, said main conveyer terminating rearwardly in spaced relation from the opening, a relatively narrower infeed conveyer moving rearwardly from said main conveyer into the opening for conveying material from the main conveyer into the opening, transverse auger conveyers comprising a pair of angers rotatable together about relatively aligned lateral axes on opposite sides of said infeed conveyer at the delivery end of the main conveyer, for laterally `consolidating the material delivered by the main conveyer to substantially the width of the feed opening, said angers comprising tubular bodies and helical flights respectively wound in opposite directions aronnd said bodies, substantially flat cam plates extending across the adjacent ends of the respective bodies diagonally` to the rotational axes thereof, said plates being relatively symmetrically inclined on opposite sides of the feed opening and converging transversely to their rotational axes, means rotating the respective angers in unison and causing their diagonal cam plates to periodically converge `toward said opening, whereby material carried between such plates by the infeed conveyor will be periodically laterally consolidated for entry into the opening without clogging.

2. The combination of claim l wherein the rotation of said langers is such that their lower peripheries move forwardly in opposition to the rearwardly moving crop material to avoid wrapping.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein the rotation ofthe angers is in such a direction that in said rearwardly converging relation Vof the cam plates their relatively adjacent portions lare rotating toward said infeed conveyer to compress the material thereagainst and to thereby contribute to the action of said infeed conveyer in drawing the material between said plates.

4. A crop infeed mechanism for laterally consolidating conveyed crop material for passage through a relatively narrow opening comprising, a rearwardly moving main conveyer of relatively great width, a rearwardly moving relatively narrower infeed conveyer substantially aligned withl and disposed to receive conveyed material from said main conveyer, a pair of auger conveyers at the delivery end of saidmain conveyer located respectively on opposite sidesY of the infeed conveyer for rotation about later- -ally aligned axes to laterally consolidate the conveyed maasociale terial to substantially the width of the infeedconveyer, the

cent ends of the respective bodies and intersecting the rotational axes of saidbodies, -said plates being inclined in relatively'converging relation transversely tothe auger rotational axes, meansif'rotating 'said augers in unisonv f whereby rtheir said cam plates will periodically 'converge rearwardly, the material carried `between such plates by -the infeed `conveyer beingthus laterally consolidated for passage-through said opening. t

5. A crop infeed mechanism for laterally consolidating conveyed crop material for passage through `a relatively narrow opening comprising, a rearwardly moving main conveyer of relatively great width, a rearwardly moving relatively narrower infeed conveyer substantially aligned with and disposed to receive conveyed material from said main conveyer, a pair of 'auger conveyers at the delivery end of said main conveyer located respectively on opposite sides of the infeed conveyer for rotation about laterally aligned axes to laterally consolidate the conveyed material to substantially the width of the infeed conveyer, substantially at axially diagonally disposed cam plates xed on the adjacent ends of the respective augers of the auger conveyers, said plates extending diagonally across and intersecting the rotational axes of the conveyors and being in peripherally converging relation, .and means rotating said augers in unison whereby their said cam plates will periodically converge rearwardly toward the feed opening, the material carried between such rearwardly converging plates by the feed conveyer being thus laterally consolidated for passage through said opening.

6. In combination with a harvester including a feed housing defining `a forward longitudinally directed feed opening, a crop infeed mechanism comprising an endless inlieed conveyer moving rearwardly through said opening, a relative-ly wide main conveyer generally aligned with and delivering material onto said endless conveyer, one lateral edge portion of said main conveyer projecting laterally to one side `of said endless conveyer, an auger having a spiral auger ilight supported above the level of said endless conveyer in longitudinal alignment with said projecting edge portion for rotation about a lateral axis :to receive material from said main conveyer and move it laterally onto the endless conveyer, one axially presented end of said auger being disposed closely adjacent said opening, said end of the auger comprising a generally flat cam plate disposed diagonally to and intersecting :the rotational axis of the auger `and in some positions of rotation being inclined rearwardly inwardly toward the said opening to further laterally move said material incident to its movement toward the opening on the endless conveyer, said auger flight terminating adjacent and lying wholly on one axial side of said cam plate.

7. In a crop infeed mechanism yan auger conveyer comprising a generally cylindrical tube, an auger flight wound helically therearound, and a flat cam plate extending completely across the delivery end of said tube diagonally to and intersecting the cylindrical axis of said tube, said auger llight terminating adjacent and lying wholly on one axial side of said plate,

8. In combination with a harvester including 'a lhousing having a forward longitudinally directed feed opening, an infeed conveyer extending forwardly from said opening and urging crop material rearwardly through the opening, augers on opposite lateral sides of said infeed conveyer rotatable about relatively aligned later-al `axes to deliver crop material inwardly to said infeed conveyer at right angles to the movement thereof, the delivery ends of said augers lying closely adjacent land on opposite sides `ot said feed opening, axially diagonally disposed flat cam plates fixed on said ends of the respective augers in syming.

metrically converging relation to each other', said plates extending diagonally acrossand intersecting" the Iax'esfof p' 'theirrespective augers, and means rotating 'the said' augers vin unison, whereby their said'cam plates will'periodically converge rearwardly to laterally consolidate "the Vcrop material carried between them on the infeed conveyer' just prior to entrance of such material into the feedopen- 9-1111 Combination with a harvester'inciudingfahousinghaving a forward 'l'ongitudinallydirected feed open- "opening, augers on yopposite lateral sides 'of "said infeed conveyer rotatable about relatively aligned lateral axes to deliver crop material to the infeed conveyer at right angles to its movement, the delivery ends of said augers lying closely adjacent and on opposite sides of said feed opening, said augers comprising generally cylindrical `bodies and helical flights respectively wound in opposite directions thereon, axially diagonally disposed substantially flat cam plates fixed on the relatively adjacent ends of said cylindrical bodies converging toward each other transversely to the rotational axes of :the augers, said plates extending diagonally across and intersecting the axes -of their respective augers, `and means rotating the said `augers in unison whereby their said cam plates will periodically converge rearwardly to laterally consolidate the crop material carried between them by said infeed conveyer. l

lO. The combination of claim 8 wherein said augers are located at a level above said infeed conveyer and the rotation of the augers is such that their lower peripheries move in opposition to said conveyer to cause :the bulk of the conveyed crop `material to move laterally in front of the augers and thence rearwardly around andbetween the ends of said augers.

ll. The combination of claim 9 in which said `augers are located at a level above said in-feed conveyer and the rotationof the augers is such :that their lower peripheries move in opposition to said conveyer to cause the bulk of the material engaged by the augers to move laterally in front .of the augers and thence rearwardly around and between the ends thereof and the cam plates fixed on said augers, the relatively converging rear peripheral edges of said cam plates in the rearwardly converging relation of said plates thus rotating toward the infeed conveyer to press the crop material thereagainst and to thereby contribute to the acti-on of the conveyer in drawing such material between said plates.

12. In combination with a harvester including a housing having a forwardly longitudinally directed feed opening, an infeed conveyer extending forwardly from said opening and urging crop material rearwardly through said opening, an auger on one lateral side of said conveyer rotatable about an axis extending laterally to the conveyer movement to deliver conveyed materials onto said conveyer transversely to its rearward movement, the delivery end of said `auger being located to one side and forwardly of said feed opening, and a flat cam plate extending across said delivery end `of the auger diagonally to `and intersecting the rotational axis of the auger, whereby during rotation of the auger said plate will be periodically positioned to laterally displace material carried by the infeed conveyer toward :the said opening.

13. in combination with a harvester including a housing having a forwardly directed longitudinaly directed feed opening, an infeed conveyer extending forwardly from said opening and urging crop material rearwardly through said opening, augers on opposite lateral sides of lsaid infeed conveyer rotatable about relatively aligned lateral axes to deliver crop material to said conveyer at right angles :to the movement thereof, the delivery ends of said augers lying closely `adjacent and on opposite sides of said feed opening, axially diagonally disposed substantially at cam'plates fixed on said ends of the respective angers in converging relation to each other, said plates extending diagonally across and intersecting the axes of their respective angers, and means interconnecting the said angers for rotation in unison.

14. In combination with a harvester including a honsing having a forward longitudinally directed feed opening, an infeed conveyer extending forwardly from .said opening and urging crop material rearwardly into said opening, augers on opposite lateral sides of said opening rotatable about relatively laterally aligned axes to deliver` crop materials onto said conveyor in position for movement into said opening, axially diagonally disposed cam plates Xed on said ends of the respective augers in converging relation to eachother, said plates extending diagonally across and intersecting the axesof their respective angers, and means interconnecting said augers for rotation in unison.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,312,785 Welty Mar. 2, 1943 2,470,704 Korsmo et al. May 17, 1949 2,477,970 Downing et al. Aug. 2, 1949 2,599,438 Downing et al. June 3, 1952 

